The NFL is down to one 4-0 team in 2022. Meanwhile, there was some more shuffling when it came to this week’s NFL Power Rankings?
Talk about a wild start to a season? The Philadelphia Eagles are the only club not to lose in 2022. And the Houston Texans are all alone when it comes to winless teams in the league.
But what may be a little more startling is the fact that only eight teams sport winning records after four weeks of play. And three of those clubs reside in the NFC East. All told, 15 of the 32 teams own 2-2 record – including all four squads in the NFC West.
It makes for some interesting decisions when it comes to the latest NFL Power Rankings.
NFL Power Rankings: Commanders kick us off
Ron Rivera’s team was hoping to avoid a third consecutive loss as the Commanders traveled to Dallas. It was another tough day for the Washington offense, despite the fact that the club was able to run for 142 yards.
Carson Wentz threw for only 170 yards and one score but was sacked twice and served up two more interceptions. The Commanders’ defense didn’t put a lot of heat on Cooper Rush. Rivera’s club has just one takeaway in four games.
A week ago, the Panthers surprised the Saints. Now the club was at home for the third time in four weeks and welcomed the Cardinals to Charlotte.
Matt Rhule’s team opened the scoring as linebacker Freddie Luvu took back a Kyler Murray interception 33 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. But the Carolina offense was basically a no-show, totaling only 220 yards (40 rushing) while quarterback Baker Mayfield turned over the ball three times.
Lovie Smith’s club was coming off a heartbreaking loss at Chicago. But the Texans were back home and welcomed the talented Chargers to Houston. Smith’s team found itself down 21-0 in the second quarter and trailed 27-7 at intermission.
The Texans responded with 17 straight points to close the gap to three points but fell short again. Rookie Dameon Pierce ran for 131 yards and one TD. But the Texans are the only team in the league without a win.
Down 10-6 at intermission, Mike Tomlin opted for rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett in the second half and he certainly sparked the offense with a pair of rushing touchdowns. But he also had his share of miscues.
And including a “Hail Mary” attempt on the final play of the game was picked off three times as the bounces did not go the team’s way. The Steelers blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead and are now 1-3 for the second consecutive year.
Scoring points has not been a problem for Dan Campbell’s club in the early stages of 2022. But the Lions had already allowed 93 points during a 1-2 start. And things only got worse against the visiting Seahawks. Detroit’s defense allowed a whopping 555 total yards,
Campbell’s never-say-die team gained 520 total yards and Jared Goff threw for 378 yards and four scores. But he also served up a pick-six, one of two turnovers for the club in the loss.
The Saints haven’t won since Week 1 and this time the club lost a heartbreaker in London. Veteran Andy Dalton got the start and threw for 236 yards and one score. But he also committed one of the team’s two turnovers.
Wil Lutz kicked a 60-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to tie the game. Looking to force overtimes, he also launched a 61-yard field goal try on the final play of the game but the ball bounced off both the left upright and crossbar.
Veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer got the start for Bill Belichick’s team at Lambeau Field. But he was banged up in the first quarter and enter 2022 fourth-round draft choice Bailey Zappe.
Another fourth-round rookie, cornerback Jack Jones, picked off an Aaron Rodgers’ pass and returned it 40 yards for the Patriots’ first touchdown. Zappe lost a fumble but threw a TD pass to DeVante Parker. But New England defenders gave up 199 yards on the ground.
Frank Reich’s club faced their third divisional rival in four weeks. And the Colts are still looking for a victory over their AFC South neighbors. Indianapolis’ defense would limit Tennessee to 243 total yards. But mistakes plagued Reich’s team all afternoon.
Jonathan Taylor was limited to only 42 yards rushing on 20 attempts and lost a fumble. Matt Ryan threw for 356 yards and found Mo Alie-Cox twice for scores. But Ryan also committed two turnovers.
The Cardinals made their way east to Charlotte to battle the Panthers. This was an ugly contest as both teams struggled to reach the end zone. Quarterback Kyler Murray served up a second-quarter pick-six.
But that proved to be the only turnover by the Cardinals on the afternoon as Murray threw for 207 yards and two scores. Kliff Kingsbury’s defense limited Carolina to only 40 yards rushing and forced Baker Mayfield into three turnovers.
For the second time in three weeks, Robert Saleh’s club erased a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit to post a road victory.
Second-year quarterback Zach Wilson made his first start of the season and appeared undaunted after his team fell behind 20-10 early in the fourth quarter. He led an 11-play, 81-yard touchdown drive to help narrow the gap to 20-17 with 7:31 to play. And Breece Hall’s two-yard TD run with 16 seconds remaining was the difference.
Josh McDaniels’ squad entered Week 4 as the NFL’s lone 0-3 team. The Raiders had won four straight meetings with the rival Broncos and that streak continued. Josh Jacobs ran for 144 yards and two scores on 28 carries while the team played turnover-free football.
A pass rush that produced just two sacks in three games dropped Russell Wilson three times. Third-year cornerback Amik Roberston returned a Melvin Gordon 68 yards for a touchdown.
It was a rough afternoon for Matt Eberflus’ club as the Bears’ offense struggled against the surprising Giants at MetLife Stadium. Chicago managed to run for 149 yards – more than half of that by Khalil Herbert (77) – but was limited to four field goals by new kicker Michael Badgley.
Meanwhile, second-year quarterback Justin Fields hit on only half of his passes (11-of-22) for 174 yards, was sacked six times and had one of Chicago’s three lost fumbles.
The Broncos looked to make in three wins in a row as they battle the rival Raiders in Las Vegas. Denver’s defense came into this contest having allowed just three offensive touchdowns in as many games. But the clubs was gashed by the Raiders’ ground attack for 212 yards.
Russell Wilson and the Denver offense had a bit more success in this contest. But this unit struggled once again on third down (3-of-11) and owned the football for just 25:08.
The Seahawks headed east to the Motor City. After scoring a combined 47 points in their first three games this season, the club broke out to the tune of 48 points, five offensive TDs and 555 total yards vs. the Lions.
Rashaad Penny totaled 17 carries for 151 yards and a pair of scores covering 36 and 41 yards. Geno Smith threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns and rookie Tariq Woolen took back a Jared Goff interception 40 yards for a TD.
Arthur Smith’s club played host to the Browns. The Falcons got off to a strong start thanks in part to Cordarrelle Patterson’s 13-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. But Atlanta would eventually trail 13-10 after three quarters.
Smith’s team wound up running for 202 yards with help from Tyler Allgeier (84 yards), as well as Caleb Huntley (56 yards) – the latter scoring a TD as well. And Dee Alford picked off Jacoby Brissett late in the game.
Off a humbling home loss to the Jaguars, the Bolts headed to Houston for the second consecutive year. And Brandon Staley’s team jumped out to a 21-0 second-quarter lead. Justin Herbert threw for 340 yards and two scores.
The biggest contributor to the scoring fest was running back Austin Ekeler, who ran for a pair of TDs in the second quarter and added a 14-yard touchdown reception with 2:28 to play to give the Chargers a little insurance.
The reigning AFC champions looked to even their record as they hosted the 3-0 Dolphins on Thursday night. The Cincinnati running game was stymied for the most part, limited to 67 yards on 30 attempts with a long run of seven yards.
Joe Burrow threw for 287 yards and a pair of TDs and was sacked only once. Cincinnati came up with two interceptions and played turnover-free ball. And the Bengals were the only AFC North team to win in Week 4.
The Browns were coming off a Thursday night home win over the rival Steelers and some extra time to prepare for their trip south to Atlanta. But Kevin Stefanski’s club was down 10-0 after one quarter.
Cleveland would score the next 13 points and after the teams traded fourth-quarter TDs, the Browns were done scoring for the afternoon. Nick Chubb ran for 118 yards and a score. Jacoby Brissett threw for 234 yards but was picked off late in the game.
Doug Pederson made his return to Philadelphia as the surprising Jaguars looked for their third straight win. And things appeared to be promising as Trevor Lawrence and company as Andre Cisco returned a Jalen Hurts’ interception 59 yards for a score and Jamal Agnew hauled in a four-yard TD pass from Lawrence for a 14-0 first-quarter lead.
But the second-year quarterback was also picked off once and lost four fumbles in the losing effort.
The team was looking for its third victory in four games under new head coach Brian Daboll. And the Giants’ defense certainly did its share in keeping the Bears out of the end zone all afternoon. Chicago quarterback Justin Fields was sacked six times.
New York came up with three fumble recoveries. Saquon Barkley totaled 31 carries and had 146 of the team’s 262 yards on the ground. Daniel Jones ran for two scores before leaving the game.
A year ago in the NFC title game, the Rams snapped a six-game losing streak to the 49ers via a come-from-behind victory. But the defending Super Bowl champions would drop their seven straight regular-season game to San Francisco.
And not only was Sean McVay’s team held out of the end zone for the entire evening, Matthew Stafford lost a fumble, threw a pick-six and was sacked seven times. All four teams in the NFC West own 2-2 records.
Kyle Shanahan’s club had prevailed in the last six regular-season meetings vs. the rival Rams as the teams who clashed in the 2021 NFC title game collided on a Monday night at San Francisco.
After spotting Los Angeles an early field goal, the Niners took a 7-3 lead via a Jeff Wilson 32-yard TD run and never trailed again. The 49ers held the Rams without a touchdown, forced two turnovers and sacked quarterback Matthew Stafford seven times.
The Ravens had scored the most points in the league after three weeks of play and hosted the explosive Buffalo Bills. And for the second time in three weeks, the team squandered a 17-plus point lead at home.
John Harbaugh’s club owned a 20-3 advantage with 3:39 remaining in the second quarter and didn’t score again. Lamar Jackson ran for 73 yards and threw for 144 more and a touchdown. But he was also sacked two times and picked off twice.
Todd Bowles’ club was looking to bounce back from a narrow home loss to the Packers as the Buccaneers hosted the Chiefs in prime time. The team dug itself a 21-3 second-quarter deficit and trailed 38-17 late in the third quarter.
Tom Brady threw for 385 yards and three touchdowns – two to wide receiver Mike Evans. But the Bucs ran for a stunning three yards on six carries. And the Tampa defense allowed 417 total yards – 189 on the ground.
The Titans headed north to Indianapolis having won the previous three meetings with the rival Colts. Running back Derrick Henry would finish the afternoon with 114 yards on the ground and one score. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw a TD pass to Robert Woods.
More significantly, Mike Vrabel’s club played turnover-free football after giving up the rock six times in their first three contests. Tennessee’s defense limited Indianapolis to 38 yards rushing.
The defending NFC East champions continue to feast on their three longtime rivals. The club’s 15-point victory over the visiting Commanders was their eighth straight within the division. Mike McCarthy’s team finished with only 279 total yards, with the Cowboys running for just 62 yards on 29 carries.
Quarterback Cooper Rush wasn’t spectacular but he threw for two scores and made his share of big plays downfield. And Brett Maher added four field goals.
The Pack looked to make it three wins in a row. But their overtime victory would not come easy against a game New England team that ran for 167 yards and forced a pair of Green Bay turnovers – including a pick-six at the expense of Aaron Rodgers.
But he would also throw a pair of touchdown passes. The Packers’ ground game was in high gear again as Aaron Jones (110) and .J. Dillon (73) combined for all but 16 of the team’s 199 rushing yards.
A year ago, the Purple Gang lost its share of close games. But for the second straight Sunday, the team rallied late to pull out a victory. The site was London, England and the foe was the Saints. Kevin O’Connell’s club opened up a 16-7 third-quarter lead only to watch New Orleans rally for a 22-19 advantage.
Kirk Cousins found Justin Jefferson for a fourth-quarter TD. But it was Greg Joseph’s 47-yard field goal with 24 seconds left that was the difference.
The Dolphins made their way north to the Queen City looking to remain the AFC’s lone unbeaten team. Late in the first half, Dolphins’ quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was slammed to the turf and would not return. But late in the third quarter and with Teddy Bridgewater at the controls,
Mike McDaniel’s team took a 15-14 lead. But the ‘Fins were outscored 13-0 in the fourth quarter. Tyreek Hill caught 10 passes for 160 yards in Miami’s first loss of the season.
Off a rare loss to a divisional opponent, Sean McDermott’s squad made the relatively short trip to Baltimore. The Bills made their share of mistakes early and found themselves down 20-3 in the second quarter.
But Josh Allen threw a nine-yard TD pass to Isaiah McKenzie with nine seconds left before intermission. Allen barely hit on 50 percent of his throws (19-of-36) and threw an interception. But the Buffalo defense pitched a second-half shutout.
Andy Reid’s team made its third trip to Tampa in three seasons as the Chiefs and Buccaneers clashed in prime time.
The Chiefs were in top form, rolling up 41 points, 417 total yards (189 rushing) and five offensive touchdowns against a club that had allowed just 27 points and three TDs in its first three games. Patrick Mahomes threw for 249 yards and three scores (1 interception) and Clyde Edwards-Helaire ran for 92 yards and scored two total TDs.
Following the Miami Dolphins’ loss on Thursday night, the Eagles had an opportunity to remain the NFL’s lone unbeaten team this season. They hosted the surprising Jaguars and spotted their guests a 14-0 lead.
But the Philadelphia ground game would get untracked and Miles Sanders had two of the club’s four rushing touchdowns. Jalen Hurts did have an interception returned for a TD. But the Eagles’ running attack rolled up a solid 210 yards.